The year 2011 is going to be a GREAT year for me as I have a very positive outlook on life. I know it is a bit late to announce my goals for the year but I say better late than never.

This year I have three simple goals for my life, which will encompass a range of activities that will improve different aspects of my life.

  • Simplify
  • Reduce
  • Magnetize

These seem to be very simple goals and while they look general they actually do have a great amount of detail to be worked out.

img from http://www.destinationiran.com

Simplify
This means that I will be reducing some of the paper and clutter in my life. I have already started going through my closets every weekend and on Saturdays I pick out three things that I have not worn in months. It can be an item that I grew out of or just something that I liked when I bought it but I am no longer in love with the way it looks on me. I force myself to throw out three things every Saturday so that I can end up with a closet that has clothes I truly love and wear.

Reduce
This means I will continue to close unused savings and checking accounts that I only opened in order to get the sign on bonus that the company was offering at the time. I will also be closing my Chase checking account because they recently changed the terms and conditions for having a free checking account. They increased the direct deposit amount to $500 and this is just a bit too much to have sitting in a non-interest bearing account for even a few days. There are a few other options to keeping the account free but they involve the use of bill pay or debit cards and neither of those choices are worth it to me either.

Magnetize
As I read in the book 100 Ways To Magnetize Money In Your Life, there are a lot of things you can do to attract money and wealth into your life. I know it sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo that does not belong in the rational world of personal finances but I seriously do believe that our actions affect the flow of money.

I notice that when I am more positive and when I give more then I get inflows of cash and good fortune as well. Now whether there is a direct correlation or not I see no harm in simply acting better and having a positive outlook on my finances.

I have already increased the amount that I give at church and make sure to write out a month’s worth of checks at the end of every month. That way even if I do miss a day of church I already have the check written out and I will just drop TWO checks in the collection on the following Sunday.

I have also started a little treat program at my workplace where I provide a healthy snack for the top student every week. It does not cost me much (actually about $5 for the month!!!!) but it is a nice thing to do for the students and it perks up their day when they are chosen. Luckily we have a small campus and it is not an every day thing but just spending that little amount brings good cheer.